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Archives for December 2010

Yesterday’s long-overdue visit to the dentist’s office resulted in the loss of one troublesome bicuspid, and the welcome addition of a new and ferocious sweet tooth. For most people, a trip to the dentist inspires a surge in flossing and responsible dental hygiene habits. For me, a trip to the dentist means out-of-control cravings for all things sweet and sugary. Hello Coca-Cola Cake!

It’s way too intense for regular consumption, but my friend Noelleen requested it, and, honestly, I feel I am entitled to indulge my cravings. If I am going to wander around the house, toothless and slobbering, talking like a hillbilly beaver, I should enjoy the experience.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13- x 9-inch baking pan (I used a bundt pan here and it came out sloppy. In the future, I’ll stick to the flat pans. This sucker is just too moist!)

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

Heat butter, cocoa and Coca-Cola to boiling and pour over the flour mixture. Mix well. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract and marshmallows and blend. The batter will be thin with marshmallows floating on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

Mix/melt first three ingredients in a sauce pan on the stove. Remove from the heat and blend in the sugar and vanilla extract. Spread on warm cake. Expect the cake to absorb some of the frosting.

Stick a fork in it.

Happy New Year Y’all!

PS: Anyone looking for a seriously nifty last minute New Year’s craft needs to check out this amazing lantern from Alison over at Backstich Baby! Wish I had thought of this one myself. Seriously considering hanging one in my bathroom all year round 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Alison!

My friend Noeleen,snarling on her birthday and wearing a photo of herself snarling at a previous birthday.PS: I’ll have you know, Noeleen authorized the public distribution of the photo above in exchange for my bringing coca cola cake to her boyfriend’s NYE party…!!BARGAIN!!

Oh, how I love me some party hats. I jump at any excuse to make them and wear them…

There is never a bad occasion. Never. And I’m not just talking about kid’s parties either; adults enjoy part hats just as much, if not more! Well, maybe not all adults. Maybe just the cool ones.

The nice thing about party hats is they lend a sense of occasion to any location. When my friend Noeleen had her birthday party at a restaurant last summer, decorations weren’t really an option. Too much fuss. So, we brought the party to the table and wore the decorations on our heads. So what if the other tables looked at us funny? Fun was had by all!

My family wearing Abigail themed party hat’s at Abigail’s first birthday. Note every adult on the property that day was wearing one of these hats. The only ones *not* wearing them were Abigail and Old Rusty (Old Rusty the dog, not Old Rusty the Uncle)

Not long ago I was down South celebrating Abigail’s first birthday. Of course, there needed to be custom hats. And of course, everyone wore one except Abigail. Apparently, baby does not like anything touching her head, not even a custom party hat! Oh well, she had plenty of fun looking at all the adults looking like goofy Carmen Miranda types.

As long as we are on the subject of Abigail’s’ birthday, can we all just take a moment to admire my niece? I mean seriously. Just look at that pudding face!

There are lots of ways to make custom party hats, but I find the easiest, sturdiest, and least expensive bases are those latex foam visors you find at craft stores. I try to stock up when they are on sale, buying a bag of ten for $4.00 or so. You can also use disposable paper party tiaras from earlier parties, or anything that will sit securely on the head. I have even used paper cups in the past….just make due with what you have.

Embellishments are unlimited! The secret is to find one or two lightweight elements that take up a lot of space + one or two sparkly/unique elements that will stick out from the pack. The foam rubber is especially nice because you can piece it with pipe cleaners or silk flowers, but glue and duct tape will also get the job done.

Think about incorporating…

Photographs

Letters and Numbers (Hello 2011! Or what about celebrating Alex’s Birthday by putting one big A on one hat + L on another, etc etc.)

Plastic bottles cut into flowers

Coloring book pages

Feather boas cut to bits

Silk flowers

Paper doilies

Holiday tinsel garland

Small toys

Tulle netting

Monopoly money

Playing cards

Just about anything in your waste bin that doesn’t smell or stick to your show can be used to make nifty hats!

Y’all have fun!

PS: Just as I was about to post this, I saw this wonderful article from Tatertots & Jello featuring 20 fabulous party hats. Check it out!

Bubba, Kerry and Abigail celebrate the day in style! Abigail was fascinated by all the adults wearing hats on her birthday, but they only one she would put on her own head that day was the pink monster (a gift from Uncle John). Kerry took the party hats home afterwards –she thinks they will come in handy in the doctor’s office. Can’t you just imagine your childhood doctor administering shots in a kickbutt hat like this?!

Update Dec 28: Sorry Y’all, I accidently deleted this post and need to repost from scratch. Beg your pardon if it gobbled your comment or appeared in your inbox twice 🙂

The “Kermit Tree” in the central rotunda

One of my favorite holiday traditions is spending Christmas Eve at the Museum of Science and Industry. I know some people will think spending Christmas at a science museum sounds kooky, but honestly, their Christmas Around the World exhibit is amazing. It’s like that Disneyland ride, It’s a Small World, minus the annoying music and the boat that smells like vomit and Captain Crunch. Trust me y’all, this show is not to be missed!

There are over 50 trees scattered throughout the central corridors of the museum, each decorated by volunteers from various ethnic communities. In addition to being drop-dead-gorgeous, each tree’s decor is aimed to represent each individual country’s holiday traditions. You hear that: it’s got rhinestones AND educational value. Beat that!

Some trees are decked out with traditional folk crafts, while others use local exports, like candy and coffee, while some limit their decorations to the colors of their national flag. It varies widely and no two are alike. Individual plaques below each tree explain some of the more popular traditions. Did you know that the Italian equivalent for Santa Claus is a witch that flies around searching for the baby Jesus? Well, you’ll just have to go see for yourself and read more.

In the center rotunda, there is a 45-foot tree with more than 30,000 lights and 1,000 ornaments. It changes every year, usually to highlight some sort of current event or museum exhibit. This year’s tree is in honor of the Jim Henson Exhibit (more on that later!)…y’all, I wish I could show you this beautiful thing. All of the ornaments were covered in furry bits and googly eyes and curly bursts of color….like a giant bedazzled muppet! If you are in the area, you have got to see this think for yourself.

For a long time, I thought Good King Wenceslas was just the title to a funky Christmas carol…but it turns out, he was a real person. In fact, he was a King and a Saint who was murdered by his younger brother. Geez-o-Pete, scandal much?

If you are like me, you probably never paid much attention to the song…but if you look closer, you might be surprised at what you find.

The song takes place today, St. Stephen’s Day (December 26) and describes King Wenceslas braving a horrible storm in order to help feed a poor neighbor. Pretty great when you think about it. Click here to listen. Or read blow:

Good King Wenceslas looked outOn the Feast of StephenWhen the snow lay ’round aboutDeep and crisp and evenBrightly shone the moon that nightThough the frost was cruelWhen a poor man came in sightGath’ring winter fuel“Hither, page, and stand by me, If thou know’st it, tellingYonder peasant, who is he?Where and what his dwelling?”“Sire, he lives a good league hence, Underneath the mountainRight against the forest fenceBy Saint Agnes’ fountain.”“Bring me flesh and bring me wineBring me pine-logs hitherThou and I shall see him dineWhen we bear them thither.”Page and monarch, forth they wentForth they went togetherThrough the rude wind’s wild lamentAnd the bitter weather.“Sire, the night is darker nowAnd the wind blows strongerFails my heart, I know not howI can go no longer.”“Mark my footsteps, good my pageTread thou in them boldlyThou shall find the winter’s rageFreeze thy blood less coldly.”In his master’s step he trodWhere the snow lay dintedHeat was in the very sodWhich the Saint had printedTherefore, Christian men, be sureWealth or rank possessingYe, who now will bless the poorShall yourselves find blessing.

Now, I don’t know what it’s like to be a Bohemian King or what it feels like to starve in the snow, but I do know what it like to be on the receiving end of a random act of kindness just when I needed it most.

…and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Mostly because Lola will attack anything that moves.

This is what I get for decorating my tree with nothing but birds and feathers. She thinks the living room is now her own personal Audobon sanctuary. No creature is safe. Not even the pot holders.

At the moment you are reading this, she is under the tree, standing guard and ready to pounce. While I’ll probably be on the couch, wrapping gifts or eating cookies, and wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

Lisa is one of my favorite blog friends. She sends me emails and gives me her honest opinion on things, and once in a while, she gives me a family recipe, like her Grandmama’s secret recipe for sweet-n-sour peanuts.

Let’s pray her sister Dina didn’t read that.

Recently, Lisa emailed me and asked me to give her some pointers on improving her Christmas snapshots without upgrading from her regular point-and-shoot camera. I was really flattered because, honestly, if someone is coming to me for advice it usually involves chocolate covered bacon or seeking revenge on an ex husband. Why people think these are my territories of expertise, I will never know, but I am happy expand my turf to photography for a day.

So, as long as I was typing them out and emailing to her, I thought I would share with you too. If anyone reading this has any other great resources for novice photographers, by all means, please link in the comments!

1. Ditch the Flash
If you want to capture the essence of holiday warmth, turn off your flash. Period. Nothing alive looks good when photographed with a point-and-shoot flash. Nothing. Zip. Zero. The image may come out crisp but it kills any sense of mood or atmosphere. That’s fine for product shots, but isn’t going to help make memories. In short, the flash kills the Christmas spirit. Avoid it whenever possible. Use natural light, or even overhead lights. If your photos are looking blurry, balance your camera on a tripod or the back of a chair. If you *must* use your flash, try diffusing it with a piece of gauze or white tissue paper. Experiment!

2. Less Posing, More Candid Photos

There are two kinds of photos: Lookers and Story Tellers.

Looker photos are about looking good; school portraits, bridesmaid line-ups, real estate promo shots. Your hair should be combed and the lawn should be trimmed. They’re all about making the subject look good. Example: Imagine Little Jimmy in his plaid pajamas, smiling wide, holding Grandma’s Christmas gift next to his face. Grandma will want to see this!

Story Tellers are about telling stories. Anyone should be able to look at the photo, without explanation and instantly understand what is going on. Example: Little Jimmy in his beloved Spiderman T-shirt and dirty hair, tearing open a package with fistfuls of wrapping paper and ribbon. Little Jimmy will want to see this when he is a grown up. Oh how he misses that Spiderman T-shirt.

3. Find a New Angle
When I flip through photos on Facebook, including my own, 99% of the photos are taken at the same height as the photographer’s head. This isn’t a bad thing, but gosh, the whole world looks a lot more interesting when photographed from a new perspective! Try photographing the tree while laying on the floor, or while sitting on the kitchen counter.

How many times have you seen a family photographed standing on the stairs? Many.

How many times have you seen a family photographed from above, while the family looks upward toward the photographer on the stairs? Never.

Bonus: You know who will always look good when photographed from above, chin raised and eyes coyly gazing at the camera? You! Everyone looks great from that angle.

4. Capitalize on Twinkle Lights
Nothing screams “holiday!” like the razzle dazzle of twinkling lights. Problem is most people try to photograph them when it is way too dark. The best time to photograph twinkle lights is the 30 minute window following sundown, when there is still some light in the sky. If the lights are indoors, turn off all overhead lights and turn on any other task lights around the room. Try having some fun by photographing the lights from a few feet away, or while swinging your camera around; the results will be blurry and gorgeous!

5. Move Off-Center
Move away from taking photos in tired and conventional ways. Center-weighted photos can be boring. Try looking at your camera in thirds, lining up your subject in the mid-margins of your camera field, not the dead center. The “Rule of Thirds” is one of the fundamental lessons in photography (learn more). You can also get creative with your cropping later on down the road.

And finally, remember to have some fun! Christmas photos, at their best, are more than snapshots of people smiling in reindeer sweaters–they are about capturing memories. Don’t worry if you have spinach dip in your teeth or the wreath is crooked, that’s part of the fun!!

Ten years ago I lived upstairs from The Old Tomato. Her real name was something like Veronica Pommerossi or Verachi Pomodesa or Villanova Panchinelli…whatever it was, it sounded like vecchio pomodoro, which roughly translates from Italian into old tomato. It was an acuarte description too –she was wrinkled and acidic, small and round, squishy and strangely sweet like a roma tomato that had been left out in the sun.

Her tan was impressive. All summer long she could be found in front of the building, sitting in a folding lawn chair and listening to Frank Sinatra on her portable radio. She didn’t speak much English but managed to express disgust and/or worldly advice at nearly every passing person. Teenage boys would walk by wearing baggy jeans and she would yell Why you don’t put pants on your ass? You try to catch you the raccoon? Put pants on your ass and you catch TWO raccoons!

Raccoons?

One time there was a string of robberies in the building next door and she took to sitting on the stoop waving a giant metal spoon at every suspicious person who past the building. I sort of wondered what she would do with the giant spoon, but alas, the opportunity never arose, as the robberies stopped. We took to calling her The Old Tomato: Crime Fighter at Large.

Sadly, the summer passed and so did she. Shortly after Halloween The Old Tomato suffered a massive stroke and died a few days later. Her family came and cleared out a few prized possessions then hired a flock of teenage boys to clear out the rest of her belongings and set them by the dumpster. It was a sad sight: her whole life in boxes laid out in an alley, discarded by raccoon chasing boys in baggy pants.

One of them saw me walking up the stairs and said Hey lady, want some Christmas stuff? I don’t feel right putting Jesus in the garbage, and handed me a box the size of a stove, filled with ornaments and wax evergreens.

It was her Christmas box. How could I say no?

Now, it’s not like I needed a bunch of funky Seventies Christmas stuff, even back then. In fact, I didn’t even keep a Christmas tree in those days. It just broke my heart to think of throwing it away. The box sat in a closet with the water heater for years.

One day the water heater broke and the repair man came in and moved the box, tipping it over and the contents fell out. Instead of apologizing, you know what he did? He made fun of me. He said I was hoarding someone else’s memories. He said I should get rid of the box.

Perhaps he had a point. Perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut. I ‘m not sure, but I got so crazy defensive that I became determined to take every single one of those ornaments out of the box and put them on display. Good bad, ugly, broken down, I was going to take them out and let them shine. I still didn’t have a tree at that time so I settled on clustering them together and tying them onto a wreath. It’s like a whole Christmas tree clustered together in a single circle.

I love it.

There are glass balls and satin bells and needle point poinsettias…gold bows and green icicles….even a one-eyed angel. Why, the only thing missing is a raccoon.

The other two smaller wreaths have specific affiliations too; the one on the left is made from candy I picked up on a wonderful vacation, and the one on the right is made from ornaments on a tree that used to be on display at a previous job. There are more scattered around the house. My goal is to make one wreath a year, affiliated with one person or place or event. They are accumulating quickly.

I’m still deciding what this year’s wreath will be. I’ll have to clean my cupboards out after Christmas and see what comes out to play. It’s a good post-Christmas pre-New years activity.